The Rules of Basketball Become the Rules of Life

By: Morgan Bianco

Kwame Alexander includes ten basketball rules throughout the book the Crossover.
These rules are presented by Josh as they pertain to certain situations in his life. Josh was
introduced to these important rules of the game by his dad, Chuck Bell, a former professional
basketball player. Little did anyone know that the rules of basketball become the rules of life.
Chuck Bell presents the following basketball rule:
Basketball Rule #1
In this game of life
your family is the court
and the ball is your heart.
no matter how good you are,
no matter how down you get,
always leave
your heart on the court (Alexander, pg 20).

This rule uses basketball as a symbolic representation of family relationships. The family as the
whole is the court and your individual heart is the ball. The deeper meaning to this rule is that
your heart belongs within your family. You can reach your goals, shoot hoops, with your familys
support, on the court. Young readers might not catch on to the deeper meaning of these rules
the first time they read the Crossover (Lohr, 2015), but Kwame Alexander strategically places
these rules in a way that aids the story. We learn from Basketball Rule #1 that Josh is very close
to his family. He has a close bond with both his brother and his dad; basketball helps connect
that bond.
The final rule of basketball presented in the Crossover is:
Basketball Rule #10
A loss is inevitable,
like snow in winter.
True champions
Learn
To dance
Through
The storm (Alexander, pg 230).

The literal basketball meaning to this rule is quite simple; you arent going to win every single
game you ever play, so you must learn to take a loss and turn it into a lesson and excel. The
deeper meaning to the final rule is heartbreaking. At the end of the book, Josh experiences the
loss of his father. This basketball rule turns into a life rule because you cannot prevent death of
loved ones; it is inevitable, but you must learn to celebrate the memories you shared with
them. According to Childrens Grief Awareness, five percent of children under the age of fifteen
will experience the loss of a parent (CGAD). That being said, this rule of life is relatable to the

young adults reading because if they didnt experience the loss of a parent they might have
experienced the loss of a loved one or they will experience the loss of a loved one in their
lifetime.
This final rule about loss was very relatable to me. I have experienced a loss of a
classmate in eighth grade and a loss of a great teacher/family friend in eleventh grade. I always
asked myself why? I never understood why they had to go and it was hard to grasp the fact
that they were gone. It took me awhile to realize that loss is infact inevitable and you do have
to dance through the storm. I now look back at the memories I shared with the people I lost
rather than grieving. I still miss them but I know it is important to celebrate their lives.
Jealousy
One of the central topics of the book the Crossover is jealousy. The Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines jealousy as an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone
else has (Jealousy). Josh experiences feelings of jealousy when his twin brother, Jordan/JB,
gets a girlfriend. When Jordan starts dating Alexis, he starts hanging out with her more,
essentially replacing Josh. Josh Bell seemed like the confident young star player of the
basketball team. He explains that he is faster and has a better slash than his brother and
therefore made him the number one player on the team. Afterall, he was the one with the
nickname Filthy McnNasty. He was sure to tell the readers how he differed from his brother and
how he excelled in certain things over JB so when the jealousy came out it was a different side
of Josh. The cockiness disappeared and a jealous lonely brother came out. The following
excerpt from the Crossover, describes the early changes of Jordans behavior.
Conversation
Dad, this girl is making
Jordan act weird.
Hes here, but hes not.
Hes always smiling.
His eyes get all spacey
whenever shes around,
and sometimes when shes not.
He wears your cologne.
Hes always
Texting her.
He even wore loafers to school.
Dad, you gotta do something (Alexander, pg 91)

It is evident that Jordan is changing due to his new and first girlfriend. By Josh acknowledging
Jordans spaciness behavior shows that Jordans focus is shifting. Where he once was focused
on basketball and hanging out with Josh is now turning into a daze. The reader gets the sense
of Jordans nonchalant attitude towards Josh when he blows off conversations about their dad
or basketball. Joshs jealousy comes out more and more as Jordan and Alexis relationship
progresses.

Second-Person
After practice, you walk home alone.
This feels strange to you, because
as long as you remember
there has always been a second person
You wonder what JB
and his pink Reebok-wearing girlfriend are doing
But hes with her.
Not here with you.
Which is unfair.
Because he doesnt argue
with you about whos the greatest,
Michael Jordan or Bill Russell,
like he used to.
Because JB will not eat lunch
with you tomorrow
or the next day,
or next week.
Because you are walking home
by yourself
and your brother owns the world.
(Alexander, pg 115).

It is evident that Josh is jealous of two things: Alexis spending more time with Jordan than him
and the simple fact that Jordan is dating Alexis and not him. His jealousy of being without
Jordan is shown when he emphasize the idea that he is always alone now doing the things he
once did with Jordan. The subtle jealousy of not dating Alexis is presented in this poem by the
reference of Jordan owning the world. The jealousy of being without a girlfriend is stronger at
other points in the book. For instance, Josh makes comments about wishing he had an apple
of his own when he overhears Jordan telling Alexis that she is the apple of his eye (Alexander,
pg 121). He also spends a lot of time emphasizing the fact that Jordan and Vondie have a
girlfriend and he does not. It isnt clear if Josh wants a girlfriend for the reason of love or
because he doesnt want to be alone. Throughout the book, Josh talks about how Jordan
spends more time with Alexis and less time with him, but he also mentions the feeling of being
replaced and alone.
Estranged
The interruption of a bond,
when one person becomes
a stranger
to someone
who was close:
a relative, friend,
or loved one

As in: When I threw the ball

at JB,
I think I was estranged
from myself,
if thats possible. (Alexander, Pg 187).

Not only does Josh feel estranged from Jordan but he also feels estranged from himself. As the
Merriam- Webster dictionary stated, jealousy can be in the form of anger as well. Josh feels like
not himself when he becomes angry at Jordan for having a girlfriend and not spending as much
time with him as they used to. His anger escalates during one of the basketball games:
Before
...Then I see JB wink at Miss Sweet Tea
after he hits a stupid free throw
JB sets a wicked pick for me
just like Coach showed us in practice
....Today, I watch JB get open and wave for me to pass.
Instead I dribble, trying to get out of the trap,
and watch as Coach and Dad scream
for me to pass...
but when I hear him say Filthy,
give me the ball, I dribble
over to my brother
and fire a pass
so hard,
it levels him,
the blood
from his nose
still shooting
long after the shotclock buzzer goes off (Alexander, pg 133-134).

Jealousy can lead people to act out of character and make questionable decisions. Josh
immediately regretted his action and apologized multiple times to Jordan. He even wrote an
apology letter to Jordan saying how he wanted to be apart of the inseparable twins again, how
he wanted things to go back to how they were.
I remember the feeling of estrangement. The feeling started when I was in eighth grade,
right after I got sick with Lymes Disease and had to leave school for homebound. Not being able
to go to school is hard at that age, I felt like I was missing out on so many things. Not only was I
missing out on the activities that went on at school but I was also missing out on social
activities. I was so sick that I had to spend most of my days in my bed, meaning I couldnt hang

out with my best friend. We were just like Josh and Jordan, inseparable since kindergarten so
when she replaced me, I was upset. I felt like it was unfair, just like Josh did, after all it wasnt
my fault I got sick. When I finally got better, it was too late; she already had a new best friend
who she did everything with. I had been replaced permanently. I tried so hard to be apart of their
group and the more I was pushed away, the more I felt jealous of the new friend. I can relate to
how Josh felt because, in a way, my best friend was kind of like my other half.
Family, Love, and Basketball
The Crossover is a fast paced book; written in poems to demonstrate the various
changes in the life of a young teenager. Susie Wilde describes the book as quick changes not
just in basketball, but in adolescence, competition, family love, life, and death (2014). There is
a lot of evidence to support the idea that family is first to Josh. His close bond with Jordan and
his dad may be centered around basketball but it is obvious that their love is strong.
The twins and the mom are worried about Chuck Bells health, as he experiences many
chest pains and a heart attack throughout the book.
Mom calls me into the kitchen
I know we told you Grandpop died after a fall, but
the truth is he fell because he had a stroke.
He had a heart disease. Too
many years of bad eating and not taking
care of himself and so-
Well, our family has a history
of heart problems, she says,
so were going to start eating better.
Especially Dad (Alexander, pg 97)

This is just the beginning of Joshs worry for his father. The fear of his dads health increases
during a game of pickup ball at the rec. Chuck Bell had a heart attack and collapsed on the floor
of the gym. He was then taken to the hospital and was in a coma for a few days; he finally woke
up on Christmas Eve and talked to Josh:
Questions
...Do you know I love you, son?
Dont you know the big games tomorrow?
Is it true Mom is letting you play?
You think I shouldnt play?
What do you think, Filthy?
What about Jordan?
Does he want to play?
Dont you know he wont as long as youre in here?
Dont you know I know that?
So, why dont you come home?

Cant you see I cant?

Why not?
Dont you know its complicated, Filthy?
Why cant you call me by my real name?
Josh, do you know what a heart attack is?
Dont you remember I was there?
Dont you see I need to be here so they can fix the damage thats been done
to my heart?
Whos gonna fix the damage thats been done to mine? (Alexander, pg 211).

Its true that Josh and his father share a love for one another and for the game of basketball.
While they avoid answering each other's questions, there is an implied message. Chuck Bell is
telling Josh in a discreet manner that he is dying but he should play in his game; at the same
time, Josh is telling his dad that he doesnt want to miss his game but if his dad dies, he will be
heartbroken. Chuck Bell also makes a statement, after awakening from his coma, saying that
they were there for each other in the past and he wants them to be there for each other forever
(Alexander, pg 208).
Josh has always been there for Jordan even when he didnt want to be. One incident
occurred when Jordan handed Josh a note to pass to Alexis during a test. Josh unfortunately
got caught and was accused of cheating. Instead of turning Jordan in, Josh took the
consequences as his own. Another time Josh was there for Jordan was when he talked on the
phone with Alexis pretending to be Jordan because Jordan was too nervous. We know that Josh
would have rather not had that conversation with Alexis for Jordan because it started their
relationship.
After the death of their father, Jordan decides to let his grudge against Josh go and
check up on him. Jordan even starts to talk about basketball with Josh again by commenting on
Joshs crossover in the game the previous week. The talk of basketball represents love and the
reconnecting of the bond for these two brothers. Jordan also gets the privilege to carry out his
dads wish of giving the championship ring to Josh; and Josh gets the privilege of carrying on
his dads legacy of being Da Man. The championship ring at the end symbolizes the bond
between the dad and Josh and also the love they had for one another. The free throw Jordan
shoots after giving Josh the ring represents the reconnecting of the brother through love,
basketball, and of course for their father, family.

Works Cited
Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. Print.

Children's Grief Awareness Day. Children's Grief Awareness, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Jealousy." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Wilde, Susie. More about Kwame Alexander. Igniting Writing. N.p., Aug.-Sept. 2014. Web. 25

Apr. 2016.